Napoli beat Inter 3-1: De Bruyne opened the scoring, McTominay shone.
VAR confirmed Mkhitaryan fouled Di Lorenzo, De Bruyne converted the penalty to open the scoring before being sent off; McTominay volleyed in the 54th minute, and Anguissa sealed the 3-1 victory in the 67th minute, putting Napoli at the top of the table.
Napoli beat Inter 3-1 at Diego Maradona to climb to the top of Serie A. Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring from the penalty spot after VAR confirmed Mkhitaryan had fouled Di Lorenzo. Scott McTominay volleyed in the 54th minute, Hakan Calhanoglu reduced the deficit with a penalty in the 59th minute before Anguissa scored the winning goal in the 67th minute.
Drama at Diego Maradona: The turning point of VAR and the decisive shots.
Before the match, Cristian Chivu's Inter had a streak of 7 consecutive wins, while Napoli had just lost to Torino and PSV Eindhoven. With Rasmus Hojlund still recovering from injury, Antonio Conte deployed David Neres as a central striker to increase the attacking tempo.
Inter started more bravely, creating an early chance when Barella stole the ball from Spinazzola and set up Lautaro Martinez for a shot, but goalkeeper Milinkovic-Savic made the save. The balance was broken after half an hour: VAR intervened, determining that Mkhitaryan had fouled Di Lorenzo in the penalty area. De Bruyne converted the penalty to open the scoring, but immediately left the field due to a problem with his right leg, making way for Olivera.
Inter reacted strongly. From a corner kick, Bastoni rose high to head the ball against the crossbar. In first-half stoppage time, Lautaro shot wide of the post and Dumfries headed against the post, but the equalizer still eluded the visitors.
Second half explodes: McTominay volleys, Inter narrow the gap, then are sealed.
In the 54th minute, McTominay surged forward from his own half, received a through pass from Spinazzola, and volleyed the ball into Sommer's net, doubling Napoli's lead. Inter immediately rallied, and just minutes later, Buongiorno handled the ball in the penalty area. Calhanoglu beat Milinkovic-Savic from the penalty spot in the 59th minute, rekindling hope for the visitors.
The atmosphere on the pitch escalated. Conte and Lautaro argued loudly, forcing the referee to intervene. Just as Inter were desperately searching for an equalizer, Anguissa broke through the center and unleashed a powerful shot in the 67th minute, sealing a 3-1 victory for Napoli.
Tactical analysis: Conte's decisions, through passes, and midfield strength.
Conte chose David Neres as the central striker while Hojlund was still unavailable, giving Napoli a mobile attacking option to exploit the space behind Inter's defense. In a cautious first half, the home team mainly waited for opportunities from transitional situations and set pieces. The penalty awarded after VAR intervention was the turning point, exactly as Conte had envisioned: taking the lead to control the tempo.
At the start of the second half, Napoli delivered a precise long-range pass: Spinazzola sent a through ball to McTominay, who surged forward from the second line and finished with a one-touch shot. This move showcased McTominay's box-to-box role in Napoli's system: supporting the defense and readily exploiting the space behind Inter's midfielders.
Inter found hope from Chivu's players with set pieces and fouls in the penalty area. However, when it came time to finish, Napoli had another source of goals from midfield: Anguissa dribbled straight into the center, finishing neatly to seal the game.
Statistics and highlights
- Score: Napoli 3-1 Inter
- Goals: De Bruyne (penalty), McTominay 54', Anguissa 67' – Calhanoglu 59' (penalty)
- Inter hit the post twice in the first half (Bastoni on the crossbar, Dumfries on the post).
- Inter's seven-game winning streak across all competitions has come to an end.
| Time | Event | Score |
|---|---|---|
| First half | VAR confirmed Mkhitaryan fouled Di Lorenzo; De Bruyne successfully converted the penalty. | Napoli 1-0 Inter |
| 54' | McTominay volleyed the ball after a through pass from Spinazzola. | Napoli 2-0 Inter |
| 59' | Calhanoglu scored from the penalty spot after Buongiorno handled the ball. | Napoli 2-1 Inter |
| 67' | Anguissa broke through the center and scored. | Napoli 3-1 Inter |
Post-match reaction
After arguing with Lautaro during the match, coach Antonio Conte explained: "When you play matches like that, anything can happen. I led Inter to the Scudetto after 10 years, after 9 consecutive wins for Juve, and you know what that means to me. I have very fond memories of that experience. Lautaro is an excellent player, but on a human level, perhaps I didn't understand him well enough. I wish him all the best, nothing happened."
Impact on the Scudetto race
The victory propelled Napoli to the top of Serie A, following Milan's 2-2 draw against Pisa, thanks to a stoppage-time assist from Luka Modric. Inter missed their chance to take the top spot after a run of seven wins, while Napoli – with McTominay leading the midfield – demonstrated their renewed energy after two recent defeats.